


Felipe's Birthday

by CMA6725



Series: Of Men and Legends [2]
Category: Zorro (TV 1990), Zorro - All Media Types
Genre: Birthday, F/M, Father Figures, Partial Nudity, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29632518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMA6725/pseuds/CMA6725
Summary: The De la Vegas celebrate Felipe's birthday as his adoption is due to be finalized. Victoria makes a discovery about her best friend.
Relationships: Felipe & Diego de la Vega, Victoria Escalante/Diego de la Vega
Series: Of Men and Legends [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177262
Kudos: 3





	Felipe's Birthday

A little over a week after Gilberto's funeral, the De la Vegas were celebrating a birthday: Felipe's.

It was not his real birthday, unless, by a strange coincidence, he truly had been born on October 16th, a fact they were, however, never to find out. The date had been, in fact, chosen because it was the day Diego had brought him home, after having found him when he was just a little orphan boy, lost and alone, on a battlefield littered with dead bodies.

It had been many years since then and Felipe had grown into a fine young man of (according to Doctor Hernandez and the year in which he had begun changing his milk teeth) nineteen. By that time, he was yearning to travel the world, as his soon-to-be adoptive father had done when he was about his age. However, after seeing the two men he loved most in his life come so close to losing their lives the previous week, he also knew that he needed to stay by their side and help them as much as he possibly could. Furthermore, with Diego deciding to keep his secret, Zorro still needed him, he was certain, so he knew that he still needed to be patient.

Additionally, he also knew that he wanted to be a lawyer and that dream could not materialize unless he first managed to speak again. He had done it once, so he knew it was possible, if only he tried harder. And try hard he did, although in vain so far, every day, when he was alone in the cave.

"Happy Birthday, Felipe!" Diego wished him as the younger man joined his soon-to-be father and grandfather in the dining room for breakfast that beautiful Monday morning.

"Happy Birthday, young man!" Don Alejandro echoed his son's words, then turned towards his son. "What do you say, Diego? Birthday present time or should we leave that for later? I can hardly wait to see his face, to be frank." He confessed, making sure not to face their young ward, still unaware he could hear.

"Let's eat, Father, and we will give him his present afterward. Maria cooked his favorite breakfast dishes and it would be a shame to let them get cold." The young caballero answered, after which he excused himself for a few minutes to head towards the kitchen, before returning to rejoin them.

Felipe grinned and started picking up the food he wanted to eat from the trays displayed before him, finishing quite fast, as he, too, was looking forward to receiving his present.

Thus, after taking their time to finish his meal, smiling at Felipe's impatience, clear by the little amount of time it took for him to eat, Diego and Don Alejandro blindfolded him and had the young man follow them towards the part of the hacienda where their quarters were situated. Felipe calculated that they had just passed Diego's room, then Don Alejandro's, and, when they stopped, just a few steps afterward, he could hardly contain his curiosity.

Diego took down the blindfold and Felipe found himself before the entrance to one of the hacienda's main apartments. Not understanding what was going on, he looked towards the two caballeros who were about to become his family, waiting for a clue. With a smile at seeing his look, Don Alejandro opened the door and signaled for Felipe to step in. He did so and noticed, right away, that his possessions had been moved there. Turning back towards his two guardians, still unable to understand what he was looking at, Diego clarified. "Your new quarters, Felipe. We thought it was time for you to have a proper apartment, one that would reflect your new status as my son. We also took the liberty of buying you some new clothes. Since you'll be a caballero, it is only right that you should dress the part." He stated, motioning towards the bed where a few suits and white shirts were waiting to be tried on.

Felipe looked around again and tears started forming in his eyes as he rushed to embrace the older men. They left him alone a few minutes later so that he might have a chance to take it all in and settle into his new rooms.

"I think he likes his present!" Don Alejandro noticed with a broad smile, as he and his son were heading towards the library.

ZZZ

"So, Felipe, what would you like to do on your birthday?" Diego asked the younger man a little later, as they were having an early lunch together.

The De la Vegas had already organized a celebration at the hacienda, making sure to invite all of Felipe's friends, yet they also wanted to allow the young man to decide for himself what he wanted to do during the day.

He thought about it for a few minutes, then signaled that, since it was hotter than normal for that period of the year, he wanted to go swimming in a nearby lake. Felipe was also hoping for the chance to target practice together with Diego, who had promised to help him improve his aim with the crossbow and with the whip. Since Zorro was sidelined due to the wound on Diego's arm, Felipe decided it was the perfect time for a little training with other weapons. While he had not yet told soon-to-be father, growing up, the young man had started to hope a day will come when he will do more than be his spy, apprentice, and occasional caretaker, and become his partner, joining him in his fight against injustice. Felipe had even thought of possible names his masked persona could assume but, again, his speech impediment was a problem, since anyone would recognize the only mute man in the pueblo, even if he put on a mask and fought with Zorro. He did, however, decide that he would be ready when the time came and hoped that it would come soon enough. One day he would speak again and he would be able to pursue his studies and return a lawyer. Diego would be very proud of him and he would not be able to refuse his assistance when he'd prove that he had grown into a warrior, just like him, and there were no more handicaps to stop him from being the man he was meant to be.

Soon after lunch, their swimwear under their clothes, Diego and Felipe headed for a lake situated some two miles northeast, on the De la Vega lands. Felipe had also made sure to take with him the crossbow and a whip, as well as a round target. Thus prepared, the two of them made their way towards their destination and, after checking that there was no one around, they spent the first hour and a half there practicing. Starting with the crossbow, Diego helped Felipe aim it properly and, when he managed to hit the center of the target ten times in a row, they both declared themselves happy with the result. Moving on to the whip, one of Zorro's main weapons, yet the one with which Felipe was least proficient, Diego gave him some pointers and proceeded in demonstrating them. His soon-to-be son did his best to imitate him, making enough progress for his trainer to declare himself proud of his achievements.

Once their training session was concluded, they decided to have a swimming race from one side of the lake to the other and back, neither one of them wearing more than knee-length black Long Johns.

About the time they were both somewhere in the middle of the lake, hidden from view by some rocks they had to swim around, Felipe still hoping to surpass Diego, who had a slight disadvantage due to his injured arm, Victoria and Pilar also arrived at the lake, having, in their turn, decided to escape the hot weather by doing a little bit of swimming during the siesta.

Not noticing the De la Vega horses tied up some fifty feet away, behind some trees, they discarded most of their clothes to retain only their corsets and a pair of thick white linen undergarments. Looking around to make sure there was nobody there, the two young women entered the lake, slowly at first, since the water seemed a bit cold before their bodies adjusted to its temperature. They were enjoying themselves, slowly treading water, when they started hearing the splashes caused by the two men returning after having concluded the first part of their race. They were shoulder to shoulder as Felipe proved himself to be a very fast swimmer and the race was a draw, both of them arriving back at the same time.

"That was excellent, Felipe!" They heard Diego commend his ward, who offered him a shy smile in return, and pointed at his arm. "Yes, I did have a slight disadvantage, but I am also taller than you, so my wound might have just evened things up. I'm quite sure that, soon enough, I'll have no chance of beating you in a race!"

The two women watched from behind a curved bend in the lake which hid them from view while they were in the water. They continued watching them when they got out, water glittering on their perfectly-toned muscles, and lay on their blankets, enjoying the afternoon sun's drying rays.

By the time they realized the awkwardness of the situation, it was already too late, Victoria and Pilar having kept quiet much longer than would have been proper for people who just happened to stumble on two of their friends. Thinking it was their only option at that point, they thus decided to remain there, still and quiet, hoping Diego and Felipe might leave soon.

Half an hour later, they were beginning to feel quite cold, due to inactivity. Since it was also getting rather late and they needed to return to the tavern, Victoria decided she could no longer take it, and, swallowing her pride, she called out to Diego.

The caballero stood up with a startle and looked around, rather shocked to see Victoria signaling from just some thirty feet away.

"Victoria?" He answered. "What are you doing there?"

"Freezing!" She replied. "Please, Diego, can you and Felipe turn around so that we could finally get out?"

"Of course!" He replied and did as asked, both men turning their barebacks at Victoria and Pilar. "Are you out?" He asked after a few minutes.

"Don't turn around yet!" Victoria ordered as she and Pilar rapidly wrapped their blankets around them. "It's alright now, Diego." She then stated, unconsciously hoping that he might turn back to face her, so that she could, once more, admire his well-toned chest.

"Good!" He replied, instead, without turning, knowing fully well other parts of his anatomy were also visible under his wet Long Johns and that was by no means proper for Victoria to see before they were married. "Now, can you do us the same favor, so we might get dressed?"

"Of course, Diego!" Victoria uttered in the condescending tone she sometimes employed with him, when his words or actions did not rise to her expectations. This time, however, that tone also reflected a lot of frustration, since her hopes to see his naked chest again had just been shattered.

They did as asked and were stunned when the men told them they were decent, just a minute later. Turning around, they marveled to see that they were, indeed, both fully dressed.

"We will leave you two alone so that you might also change." Diego stated. "We hope we didn't cause you any inconvenience, senoritas!" He added, apologetically, then signaled to Felipe to follow him to the horses and they both left before either Victoria or Pilar were able to reply.

"I never imagined Don Diego looked like that underneath his clothes." Pilar confessed to her friend and employer.

"Neither did I!" She replied as she shook away the strange sensation that the image of the almost naked Diego stirred inside of her. If only he'd be half the man Zorro is! She thought. As things were, though, the man was infuriatingly polite, too uninterested in her as a woman, and prone to disappear anytime danger lurked near, all of which just confused the taverness.

"Are you not getting dressed, Victoria?" Pilar asked her, after having made herself ready for the ride back to town.

"Yes, of course, I am. I was just hoping I would dry a little more, first." Victoria tried to excuse her daydreaming.

"I think seeing Don Diego with so little clothes on might have affected you!" Pilar joked.

"Don't be silly! I…I don't think of Diego that way!" She dismissed her friend's comment and its implications.

Pilar just gave her a smug look which basically said "Who do you think you're fooling, Victoria?" but uttered no more words.

ZZZ

As the evening came and the guest started to arrive, Felipe was startled to see Kinona there, brought-in from the Mission by one of the vaqueros, as per Diego's request. He smiled at her and everyone else seemed to disappear into the background as his attention was focused on the young woman which made his heart beat faster. Kinona had never before attended a Birthday Party such as the one the De la Vegas had organized for Felipe, and seemed fascinated with all the decorations, the food and the music, as well as with the pairs dancing. Her companion saw her look and invited her to a dance, signaling that, while he couldn't hear the music, he could imitate the other couples.

"I do believe he's in love, Son!" Don Alejandro told Diego with a knowing smile at watching the pair dancing.

"I thought Felipe can't hear!" Mendoza noted as he neared the two. "But how can he dance if he cannot hear?"

"Well, Sergeant," Diego replied, "I made sure to teach Felipe how to dance a long time ago and he knows that all he needs to do is set his tempo according to the people next to him."

"You taught him so much, Don Diego! Most fathers don't spend as much time teaching their real sons as you have dedicated to Felipe!" Mendoza noted with some jealousy at remembering he was also an orphan, but not as lucky as the young man to end up with people like the De la Vegas.

"That's true, Son!" Don Alejandro agreed. "You did a wonderful job raising him."

"I can hardly assume all the credit, considering I was gone for almost five years while he was growing up, Father!" His son replied.

"Ola, Don Alejandro! Sergeant! Don Diego!" Victoria greeted them at entering the courtyard, unwillingly blushing as soon as she saw the tall caballero.

"Victoria, my dear! I am glad you made it!" Don Alejandro greeted her back.

"I brought this for Felipe!" She told him, handing over a box, while avoiding making eye contact with Diego. "I baked him the lemon pie I know he likes."

"I'll be taking that." The tall caballero offered and took the box to Felipe's new rooms, where the other presents were, as well. When he returned, Victoria was dancing with Mendoza and he couldn't help himself from cutting in to dance with her. The Sergeant gracefully allowed the interruption and headed for the food table, to spend some time with what he loved most in his life: enchiladas.

"I hope you and Pilar didn't catch a cold!" Diego told Victoria as they started dancing.

"We did not, Diego. You shouldn't worry about us! At least we were dressed." She replied.

"Felipe and I thought we were alone there. I hope our state of undress did not offend you." He tried to excuse himself.

"Of course not! I mean…We didn't look, of course…" Victoria stated.

"I wasn't doubting that, Senorita!" He stated with a smile he did his best to hide from her.

"May I ask you something, Diego?" She wondered after about a minute of silence before them.

"You can ask me anything, Victoria." He approved.

"Do you…Do you…swim a lot?" Victoria was wondering about how did a caballero who spent most of his time painting, playing music, and reading books get such toned muscles on him, but that was not something she could bluntly ask.

Diego smiled knowingly. "Any chance I get." He answered. "I don't spend every minute sitting around, if that's what you think."

"I wasn't thinking you did!" She protested "Wa…What else do you do?"

"Well, I ride a lot, I help my father with the ranch - tending to fences, repairing tools, carrying water and hay, that sort of things – I tend to the animals, do some gardening on occasion…"

"I see…" Victoria simply stated pensively, and went silent again until the music stopped.

Don Alejandro took advantage of the pause to gently knock a knife to his glass, and everyone responded by focusing their attention on him.

"Felipe!" He started, looking straight at the young man, so that he could read his lips.

"First of all, let me wish you a Happy Birthday, again, young man! We all know this is probably not the day you were born, but it is the day you came into this household and became a member of this family. For you have always been a member of our family, Felipe. My son might have taken his time to make it official, but those papers do little more than confirm what we all know in our hearts: that you are a true De la Vega!

"I remember that, when Diego brought you, seeing how he took care of you and how you responded to him, it crossed my mind, even then, that I was looking at my son interacting with my grandson. I know there are moments when it feels like you are the one taking care of him, but I bet he also believes sometimes that he is the one taking care of me. It's how it goes with family, I guess. We take care of each other.

"So, here is to you, young man, grandson of my heart and soon-to-be Felipe de la Vega!" Don Alejandro raised his glass as everyone else did the same.

The celebration went on for several more hours. Diego, eventually, escorted a still-somehow-embarrassed Victoria to the tavern, since Mendoza had left earlier and, when he returned, about half an hour after his father had retired for the night, he picked up from under his bed another birthday present for Felipe. The caballero then headed for the cave, knowing that the young man would be there, tending to Tornado before his nightly ride.

"Did you enjoy your party, soon-to-be son?" He asked after taking a few moments to watch him saddling the horse.

*I did, soon-to-be Father.* Felipe signed with a broad smile.

"Here. I have one more gift for you." Diego said as he handled him a long box.

Felipe took it and opened it to find a beautiful Toledo-steel sword with a tilted golden spiraling guard, reminiscent of Zorro's, yet even more beautiful, the young man thought.

"I had it specially ordered from Spain a while ago, and was only waiting for the proper occasion to give it to you." Diego confessed. "Considering your current level of skill with the blade, I thought you could do with a proper sword."

The young man took it and wielded it, making a few lounges with it. *It's just as heavy as Zorro's sword.* He gestured.

"Just as sharp, as well!" Diego told him. "But, remember! Only use it to defend yourself or protect others, never to harm and never in anger!"

*I will remember! Thank you!* Felipe signaled and, leaving down his new sword, hurried to embrace, once more, the tall caballero, before he changed into his black clothes and left for his nightly ride.


End file.
